I’ve made a post about this previously. I have a 6 month probation at a new job, and I’m around 4 months into that probation and have a strong feeling that I’m not going to pass it.

For a bit of background, I absolutely suck at my job. There are so many different things that I need to do on a daily basis and sometimes I genuinely forget to do or follow up on things. I’ve been in my role for around 6/7 years and at this company for 4 months now. The first 3 months was pretty good, then all a sudden one of my stakeholders (behind my back) reached out to my boss and said there was a bunch of tasks not completed. FYI I had no idea that these tasks even existed or what they were. But of course my boss was a bit annoyed that they wasn’t done. Since then, my boss feels a lot more annoyed at me in meetings and on messages. My boss has started to act like I don’t exist in meetings and has asked other people to do tasks that I would normally do, and instead of messaging me directly she asks other people to message me instead.

My boss and I had our 1-2-1 a few days ago, and she just seemed like she’s already done with me and doesn’t think that I can do this job (she didn’t say this, just a strong feeling). I know for a fact that she is very unlikely to keep me on at the 6 month mark.

What do I do??

1. Completive salary: means a low pay 95% of the time.
2. Salary based on experience : Similar to the first point but used to bait you to apply, just to find out later when they call you ..that they're not even willing match your previous job pay.
3. Job with Initial/Temp tags without duration: they've written a detailed job description of what they want from you and job requirements but could take the time to say how long the job is ... probably knowing most people won't apply if they knew the duration.
4. 3 - 6 months: Too large of gap ... the difference between 3 months and 6 months is big.. made even worse when they say "likely to extend"
5. Might go permeant: 90% of the time its not. Another thing they add to try to bait you into taking the job.
6. Pay shown in hourly but no mention working hours: £20 an hour for 35, 37.5 and 40 hours are all different. Please list the amount of hours.
7. Working hours not listed: similar to the last point but this time please list out the working hours, start and end time, how long the break is ... even for jobs with annum salary listed.
8. Hybrid tag but no mention of WFH days: just write it ... saves everyone's time of you calling me just to discuss the role and tell me that it is just one day WFH.
9. Asking for reference before interview stage: just a red flag.
10. Having more that two interview stage: I have yet to find a job that justify more than 2 interviews .. maybe super upper management roles.
11. Pay base on probation: paying a lower wage during the probation with a promise of an increase after a passed probation is a red flag.
12. 8:30 to 18:30: no ... just no
13. Large salary ranges: this is only okay if they explain in the job description what requirements will be needed to get higher salary offers.
14. No Mention of benefits: is even worse when things like comparative salary is listed under benefits.... No ... basic salary and legally entitled holidays aren't benefits.
15. Vague duties: some of job description are written like spy code. Please just list out clearly what the duties are and please keep the jargon to a minimum

i handed in my notice at my old nursery job because it was toxic and i got a trial through an agency as a special needs teaching assistant. they told me they didn’t want me yet they called me back the next day for a paid full day trial with no explanation as to why they changed their minds about the situation

first red flag. so i’m here and on my lunch break and i hate it. the teachers are impolite and i’ve been bitten, scratched and i have a bruise and bite marks on me. it’s been three hours

i told the teacher that i’ve never worked in a school and i’m sure to nurseries and she’s told me off for things like hugging the children and picking them up. they seem to expect me to know everything and how things run already

i absolutely hate it and if i hadn’t already handed in my notice i would’ve walked out now and stayed my other job. even though my job is toxic and stressful im familiar with everything, know the rules and nobody tries to tell me what to do

i’m debating rescinding my notice and telling the agency guy i’m not interested. i hate it here, i don’t think i can do it permanently

I’ve been in my tech job for around 6 years and whilst I have really enjoyed my time here, gotten promotions and made a real positive impact - I am getting some serious vibes that the discussion to fire me or “let me go” is coming around the corner.

I get the impression that some minor faults of mine have been used to build some kind of pretext to justify this. People are speaking to me differently and I am generally pretty perceptive of when things are changing around me.

They can’t let me go immediately because there’s a major client project which requires my attention - and there’s nobody else around to do it or understand the intricacies other than the potential firing manager. I get the impression that once this is done, I’ll be out the door. I haven’t done enough to be sacked for being bad at my job, but they could certainly justify not needing as many people in the building - AI has already seen to a couple of close colleagues within the last 12 months, who were simply told they weren’t needed and paid off.

My case is slightly different because I’d be leaving with lots and lots of knowledge (which they’re trying to extract from my brain by making me create a bunch of SOPs - weirdly enough).

Part of me wants to get ahead of the game and leave on my own terms.

The other part wants to hold off for a potential gardening leave/lieu of notice and take a few months out, without worrying about where the money is going to come from, and spend some time with the family at home over Christmas.

Safe to say I’m applying for other jobs at a rate of 1 or 2 per day so hopeful of that working out.

Anyone else been in this position where you’ve felt something? Did it happen as expected? Or were you just paranoid?

I recently completed my first shift through a UK employment agency, but I decided the job wasn’t for me and informed them that I wouldn’t be returning. I am returning the uniform clean and undamaged. However, someone at the agency has told me they are withholding my wages for the shift I completed because I didn’t pay a uniform deposit. Can they legally do this?
Here’s what happened.
At 8 pm on a Sunday, the agency sent me a message saying I needed to pay a deposit for the uniform. To be honest, I hadn’t even read the message.
The following day, at 11:30 am, they messaged me again saying I had to pay by midday or they would charge me a £20 administration fee on top of the £23 uniform charge. I responded immediately and told them I wouldn’t be returning.
The reason I decided to leave was that the job was very physically demanding, as it involved warehouse work. The workplace also seemed quite disorganised, and there were several additional costs that I wasn’t happy about.
For example:
They charge £11 per day for transport to work.

After I had already completed my first shift, they told me I had to pay £26 for a DBS check.

I also had to pay for taxis to and from the collection point where the agency’s transport picks workers up, despite having my own car.

I wasn’t happy with the working arrangements, so I decided not to continue.
My main concern now is that I have worked a shift and earned wages, but the agency is saying they will withhold my pay because I haven’t paid the uniform deposit.
I am returning the uniform clean and undamaged, so there should be no reason for them to charge me for it.
Can the agency legally withhold my wages for the shift I have already completed because I didn’t pay a uniform deposit? Also, are they allowed to impose a £20 administration fee when they only gave me a short deadline to pay?
I would appreciate any advice from anyone familiar with UK employment law or who has dealt with a similar situation.

curious to know if anyone has launched their own business as a result of finding employment for themselves?

Hi everyone. I’m looking for advice/opinions please. I’ve accepted an offer to join a competitor in the financial services industry and am currently working my notice. I have 4 weeks left to go (out of a 12 week notice period).

My contract has a non-solicitation and non-compete standard clause which I am committed to and wish to remain professional throughout my notice period. I’m also not in a position of influence or decision making to persuade clients to move. My role is admin based only.

However, one currently client is re-tendering their admin contract and asked for my current firm to quote but also likely to approach my new employer due to a close professional link……my employer is already expecting to potentially lose the client to my new firm…..

Based on the above, would you be transparent with your current employer as to where you are moving to or keep it to yourself?

Had an interview 3 days ago and they said they will get back to me by next week as they are interviewing more people plus they’re not allowed to give the role to anyone just at the moment yet due to budget freeze or whatever they called it. So I’m confused… I really wanted this role but they still haven’t got back to me. Am I just being impatient ? How do you cope with the waiting around?🙁

I just need to vent because I'm completely fed up.

As someone on the autism spectrum, starting a new job in a completely unfamiliar, fast-paced environment takes a massive amount of mental energy. It takes time to process the setup, get past the sensory adjustment, and adapt to how everything works.

During hiring, there was so much emphasis on "we need someone to help us through our busy Christmas rush period." So I pushed through the adjustment phase, put in full effort, adapted, and literally just mastered the physical workflow. I finally felt like I was nearly adapted and pulling my weight.

Then today, out of nowhere, I get an email saying my trial period is ending immediately. Not because of performance—they explicitly admitted I tried hard, adapted, and did a good job—but because they decided to cut their advertising spend on eBay/Amazon, resulting in fewer orders, so they "no longer require additional help."

It is so exhausting doing the heavy lifting to adapt to a new workplace with ASD, pushing through the stress because you're told they desperately need seasonal help, only for them to pull the rug out from under you over a business decision they made on ad spend.

Hi all,

I made a post a few days ago about pros and cons of fully remote working. I do apologise I’m abit emotional about leaving my current job of 3.5 years as I’ll be leaving behind some good people and my best friend and leaving a cushiony job that allowed me to be VERY flexible, but I just felt like I was destined for so much more and the environment became so toxic after my line manager changed. Currently I’m in a hybrid role (2 days wfh, 3 days in the office) the only good thing about this job was that I worked 8-3:45, the commute was 20 mins each way, and I was able to go gym after work and during wfh days during lunch. I think part of me being emotional is due to the fact that I had a good routine and I was with my best friend all the time. My new job is fully remote but the hours are 9-5:30pm (fixed) which means I’ll have to change my gym hours. I have a lot of hobbies outside of work like reading, gym, Pilates, I also try to get my 10k steps in everyday, I’m also an avid seller on Vinted so I make extra money.

I just want abit of advice from people that went from hybrid to fully remote, how did you adjust? And what advice would you give to someone that is going with this arrangement?

I think what I’ll miss the most is being able to do spontaneous thing after an office day with my friend like going for coffee or popping into town to shop which I know I can still do but our timings will be different.

P.s I know a lot of people in my previous post were trying to mean well but please try to be abit polite, I’m young and experiencing a huge change (well huge to me).

I've been a bus/coach driver for the last 27 years on and off but due to a shoulder problem and crap new vehicles, I have to give it up. However, it's made me realise how much I want to get back to playing with cars and hopefully, get back to working for myself in the future.

I got my level 2 mechanic qualification 30 something years ago and I think it would be a great idea to go for my level 3 but how does someone in their 50's who has to work full time even begin to negotiate this?

Any help is greatly appreciated

Like https://appointments.thetimes.com/, https://jobs.theguardian.com/ etc. Any caveats?

So for context, ive been in many interview processes, got to the final stages with 2 roles, role A and role B. In that order of preference.

Role B's final interview was Wednesday and they have now made an offer which I accepted as Ive been out of a job since June and need a job (losing my home if I dont get something soon) so didnt feel like I could say no as they want to move quickly because vetting etc will take a few weeks so my start date is pencilled for a month's time but role A has now come back and offered the actual final stage interview for monday, role A I think (if memory serves correct) is higher salary, no vetting (not sure if i'll pass the vetting due to some financial issues) and probably a sooner start date.

But im stuck on if i pull out of the role A process because ive accepted the other offer, and potentially burn a bridge with role a, and if vetting does fail im back to job hunting as its a contract stipulation or do I burn a bridge with role b and the recruiter (who was actually decent - rare i know!) And accept an offer from role A if they make one?

I got a job offer in retail that’s about a 20 minute drive away (I can’t drive), I expected early mornings but it turns out they’re 3.30am starts. There’s no trains that early.

I don’t have anybody that can drive me in, so my options are just Taxi or a hotel nearby for every shift right? Almost doesn’t seem worth it at that point.

19M, this would be my first job

Edit: thanks for the responses! For further context it is a 20 minute drive but 1.5 hr bicycle. I am learning to drive but am still early in my lessons. Got myself a car ready and insured to help me learn so I can’t really afford a moped.
The role is also a seasonal one over the festive period

I have 3 interviews for different M&S stores for their christmas temp jobs, and I really want to be able to stay on as a permanent worker - one is fashion and beauty which is in the city centre, and the other two are foodhalls which are both like the same distance from me.

I'm obviously going to go to all of the interviews, but if I get offers from more than one I would pick the one that has the most chance of me getting kept on. Does fashion or foodhall tend to have more employees anyone know?

(btw, they have no vacancies besides their christmas ones atm.)

genuinely what is it with customers who think it’s okay to touch me? I work in boots so I deal with customers every second, and it’s mainly the older women who touch me and I try to play it off as they’re older, but I don’t even let my family really touch me as idk it just makes me uncomfortable. literally even had some 40 year old man touch me cause I helped him likeee.

Joined my firm on a grad scheme about 5 years ago with 10 other people. Every single one of them has either been promoted into a senior role or moved on somewhere better. I'm the only one who hasn't moved (neither up, or out). I feel like I am at the same place I started, watching everyone I came in with go past me.

It's making me feel like I'm just bad at my job. Like there's something the rest of them worked out and I didn't.

The other half of my brain kicks in: am I being ungrateful? I get a pay rise every year. A bonus most years. The firm is one of the best in its field. On paper I've got nothing to complain about, and plenty of people would take what I have in a heartbeat. So maybe I should just be grateful and shut up?

But I can't shake the feeling that I should be further along by now, and the proof is just... everyone else. Same start, same time, and they've gone and I haven't.

There are roles upwards - I’m just “not ready” (even though my peers who started with me seem to be - they work in other teams so the workload is different). I've had about 10 interviews trying to get out. No offer yet. Every rejection chips away at it a bit more, and now it's in my head most days. I keep seeing people I'd have said were less experienced than me landing roles and moving up, and it stings more than I'd like to admit.

Not really sure what I'm after by posting this. Maybe just to know if anyone's been here. How do you stop it eating you alive? And how do you tell the difference between "I should be grateful" and "I actually deserve more and I'm right to want it"?

We need to talk about how organisations sometimes use vertical movement as a substitute for meaningful financial investment.

A new title (Senior, Lead, Principal, Director) can cost an organisation considerably less than a substantial, permanent salary increase.

And when employees start expressing stagnation, disengagement or an intention to look elsewhere, it's worth asking whether the response is genuine investment in their development or simply another promotion cycle.

You get a more impressive title, a broader scope of responsibility and perhaps a modest pay rise. Meanwhile, your contribution increases, but your purchasing power and personal time may not.

That's the strange illusion of career progression: you feel like you're climbing, even when the material benefits of moving up don't quite follow.

Of course, titles can have genuine value. They can open doors, strengthen your CV and create opportunities for future growth. But that doesn't make them a substitute for fair compensation.

At what point does career progression stop being genuine professional development and start becoming compensation theatre?

Have you seen a promotion used as a substitute for paying someone what their role or the market actually demands? I'm curious to hear how this plays out across different industries.

Hi everyone I have finally found my first grad job after job searching for a year. It was horrible and I don't want to be unemployed again. I have been in this job for 6 months and was on track to pass probation.

Unexpectedly last week I was told it will be extended by 3 months. In my company 3 months is considered in exceptional circumstances like sickness. My manager has been useless the whole time. She had one positive interim review with me where she said I will pass if i continue working the same way. I continued working the same way and acted on all the feedback. She kept giving more feedback and I again implemented it all, despite it sometimes seeming excessive/critical or it increasing my workload substantially. I genuinely believed I was going to pass. She was mean often sarcastic, doesn't have any emotional intelligence or empathy, but nevertheless I acted on everything I was told to do.

Then during a regular catch up only 2 weeks before probation end date I was told my people management and operational standards need improvement. I now have to fill out a weekly diary of everything I do. I have to carry out 1:1 with every single person in the team and document it (despite me already knowing the team well as I have been in post for 6 months). And I was given some checklist I am meant to complete daily that I cannot access the document for. I was put on an 8 week plan without any SMART goals, or clear purpose. Just micromanagement and new starter tasks (get to know the team, learn the basics of retail etc). As someone who has been in post for 6 months with basically no support I had to figure everything out on my own in a very chaotic and understaffed shop, I was shocked when I was given an excessive amount of paperwork that I... don't have time to complete because the environment is so chaotic.

My union is challenging this, and I asked HR to clarify whether policy was even followed in this decision. However in the meantime my union rep advised I just fill out the forms. However my question is why was I given all of this paperwork? Wouldn't it demonstrate that I actually do my job and know what I am doing instead of making me seem incompetent?

Obviously I am looking for a new job but I have had little luck.

Hi everyone!

I wanted to ask if anyone here has heard of or had any experience with a company called Educate2Trade, based in London.

I recently applied for their Financial Analyst Engineer position, and they seem to be offering a pretty good salary, relocation assistance, and visa sponsorship. I checked the UK government website and couldn’t find anything obviously suspicious, but I’d really appreciate some advice from anyone who might know more about the company.

There’s one thing that felt a little strange to me. I received an email asking me to schedule an interview, so I booked a slot for next week and received a confirmation email. However, the very next day, someone from the company called me directly on my phone.

When I mentioned that I’d already booked an interview for next week and had received a confirmation email, she said there was nothing on the calendar for my call and that my response had probably been lost.

I found this a little odd because I hadn’t scheduled a phone call for that day, and it seemed strange that they were calling me without a confirmed appointment. I also expected the interview to be online, perhaps through Google Meet, rather than an unexpected phone call.

I don’t want to jump to conclusions, as I understand that recruitment processes can sometimes be disorganised, but the combination of a good salary, visa sponsorship, and relocation support has made me want to be extra careful.

A little about me: I’ve just graduated with a Master’s in Data Science, and I’m trying my best to secure a sponsored job in the UK. Opportunities like this are genuinely exciting, so I don’t want to dismiss something potentially legitimate, but I also don’t want to overlook any red flags.

Has anyone interviewed with or worked for Educate2Trade? Is this kind of recruitment process normal, or should I be cautious and reconsider proceeding with them?

Any advice, personal experiences, or suggestions on how I can verify whether the company and job offer are legitimate would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much! ❤️

I have reached breaking point in my current job, just perpetually stressed, anxious, feeling like I am failing everyone. I am 0.8WTE working in the NHS but feel like my workload is more than would be achievable in 1.2WTE. I also feel fundamentally quite ill-suited to the job and think trying to stick at it is harming my self-esteem. I work only part time as I have two young children, ages 5 and 2. My wife works also around 30 hours per week and earns significantly more than me.
As I recently became quite unwell with the stress, I saw a GP and am currently off work with a fit note for 2 weeks.
I think a primary cause of stress is feeling like I am becoming a bad dad, constantly irritable and angry, not much fun anymore and also not often around for pick-ups, homework help etc. I have realised I care much more about being there for the kids and ensuring they get the best start in life possible than personal career ambitions.
I would really like to take the next approx year off work to focus on the kids, domestic chores etc, as well as hopefully explore other options for work long term (do some training courses etc). We have enough in savings to allow this and my wife is supportive of it. Only stumbling block is I am quite fearful that when I feel ready to go back to employment it may not be as easy as I think, and a year out of work could put employers off. I think my employment record has been pretty good up to now, 12 years in the NHS across a couple of trusts, progressed through a few different job titles, stayed at least 2 years in each.
I think I will try to request a Career Break for 1 year to give the security of returning to my current job if needed - this is offered at my work, but subject to whether the employer thinks it beneficial. But I guess I am interested to hear others’ perspectives on if I were to just resign and then try to find something in a year, how difficult I am likely to find that?

A sense check would be very welcomed!!

Long term would be amazing to get out of hospo and have a bit more of a life tbh. There’s things I do enjoy about it but don’t see myself going into the management game for progression and would love to just have more of a standard daytime and consistent working pattern. I’m already in the “just take any job” job, but I do need my immediate next move to make sense overall.

Currently working in a 4\*, just over 200 rooms, big leisure resort type place, it’s a mix of leisure guests individual and tour groups (boomer American tour groups feature in my nightmares), business travel, MICE, social events and weddings. My title is Guest Relations/Duty Manager. I get good feedback from management but honestly don’t feel like I’m doing much AT ALL and struggle with my confidence. Feel like I’m the last one to know things and there’s a big “stay in your lane” vibe, not full of opportunities to get very involved. Been here about a year and TBF definitely feel I’ve learned a lot and become more independent in what I’m doing. Enjoy the hotel itself and a lot of the people I work with. This role feels really fixed, I do support other areas somewhat but there’s not much depth to what I’m doing at all. The bar feels like it’s basically on the floor with what’s expected of me and I’ve exhausted what I can even think of to try and get opportunities to learn anything else (with anything I’m even “allowed to” be aware of I’ve surmised that I’m basically expected to mind read and know what I don’t know, in order to directly find anything out beyond my immediate job role of smile and wave, it’s all just oddly gatekeepy and for nothing because it all turns out to be basic AF), or just to try and get anything else to do. Few other reasons I’d want to move on but don’t want to get too close to identifying the place.

Potentially could have the opportunity to move into a 3\*, 30 ish rooms, more of a focus on social events, regular business events, weddings, business travel, locals coming in to the bar/restaurant. A big benefit is it’s a lot closer to home so would significantly cut down my commute. Title would also be DM and still based with the Reception team like my current job is, but a bit of a wider role due to the place being smaller, including an active role in events coordination (they don’t have a dedicated role for this so it comes to the management and reception team - in my current place this is very self contained). Also discussed more possibilities of getting involved in more of like operations management side of the business. Much smaller team and seemingly less of a bureaucracy in terms of ownership than my current place so can see me being much more actively involved and feel like my contributions could be a bit more clearly demonstrable. I have a 2nd interview coming up for this so also appreciate any suggestions for what to discuss to make sure this is the right move.

Aside from the benefits of a shorter commute I would be hopeful that the broader and more chance to learn operational aspects could lead into either more opportunity to develop in the hotel itself or be a bit more translatable in looking to move outside of hospitality. Thoughts on this very welcome…